Rick Scott Will Deny Transplants to Patients

Peter Schorsch has the most disturbing aspects of Gov. Rick Scott's budget.

* Privatizing the state’s three mental health hospitals in Chattahoochee, Macclenny and Gainesville, savings also gained by eliminating the state workforce;

* Closing two prisons – a move Scott said was made easier by the state having 8,000 excess prison beds in the system;

* Saving close to $1 billion by limiting the state’s Medically Needy program to pregnant women and children, barring thousands of transplant patients and those with catastrophic illnesses from participating in the program;

* Cutting $1 billion from the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, by imposing 5 percent cuts in state payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care facilities, and eliminating annual cost of health care increases;

* Setting in motion plans to steer Florida’s more than 2.7 million Medicaid patients into managed care programs, setting the stage for $1.2 billion in savings in 2012-13;

* Revamping health insurance coverage for state workers, increasing payments for Florida’s select exempt employees such as legislative staff and lawmakers, and senior managers. Scott also would cap employee health coverage at $5,000 annually.

Scott is going to endanger the lives of Floridians by dying many much needed transplants. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has denied organ transplants to sick patients. Patients have died under Brewer's policy.

Scott won't fund transplants but he will give corporate tax cuts. The cold-blooded health care view Scott used to create massive Medicare fraud at Columbia/HCA is now rearing it's ugly head in Florida's health care policy. This is disgusting.